Pineapple Princesses began as a tribute to Ruby Borrowdale, the home economist behind the 'Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book' tested in the Golden Circle kitchen and modified and updated in the Pineapple Princesses' test kitchens.
As Ruby said "pineapple is a versatile food" . . .
no fat, high in vitamin C and full of the flavour of Queensland sunshine. The blog continues as more and more pineapple recipes are discovered from around the world.

Using
a juicer: Run the bell pepper, carrot, and pineapple through first,
followed by the ginger and mint. Feed the cucumber and lemon through
the juicer last to catch any remaining bits in the juicer. Enjoy
immediately or store in an airtight glass container for up to 2 days
or in the freezer for up to 4 days.

Nutrition
tip: Pineapple contains a natural enzyme, bromelain, which is a
powerful antioxidant that helps with inflammation, muscle relaxation,
and digestion.

In
a medium saucepan, combine the water, ginger, turmeric, cayenne,
cinnamon, and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from the heat
and add the pineapple juice, honey, and vinegar (if using). Serve
warm, with each mug topped with a fresh mint leaf. Or cool and pour
over ice to serve chilled

This recipe for my
pineapple-ginger-champagne-cocktail is perfect for any occasion and
can be easily multiplied for bigger gatherings. Ginger balances the
fruitiness of the pineapple and champagne adds nice bubbles.

Add all ingredients
to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally,
until sugar has dissolved. Cover with a lid and let steep for at
least one hour. Strain and store in a jar in your refrigerator for up
to two weeks.

This recipe makes
more ginger simple syrup than you will need for the
pineapple-ginger-champagne-cocktail. It is also great for a little
spice and sweetness in your tea, cake or cocktail.

Sunday, 22 January 2017

“Why is everything
about a pineapple so awesome? No really, why?? From their funky and
design friendly shape to their sweet and tangy flavor, I love
everything about pineapples! They also just basically SCREAM “summer”
so I get pretty stoked about that too.” Jenny

2. In a mixing bowl,
combine flour, baking powder and lime zest. Whisk together and set
aside.

3. In a stand mixer,
fitted with a paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), cream
together butter and sugar. Until light and fluffy.

4. Add egg and
vanilla to the butter mixture and continue to mix together.

5. Stir the dry
mixture into the wet mixture and beat together until smooth dough
forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

6. Lightly dust a
clan surface and roll the dough out until about 5mm thick.

7. Using your
pineapple cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as possible,
rerolling the dough scraps as needed.

8. Transfer cookies
onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 4cm apart and bake for 7-9
minutes or until the cookies have just baked through and are barely
brown around the edges.

9. Allow cookies to
cool completely before frosting.

10. Pineapple
buttercream: In a mixing bowl beat butter until light and fluffy. Add
sugar, 1 cup at a time, until fully incorporated (the mixture will be
extra stiff and thick at this point). Beat in pineapple juice, 1-2
tablespoons at a time until fully incorporated and the buttercream is
light and fluffy.

11. To assemble:
Divide the buttercream into 2 mixing bowls. The first bowl should
have 3/4 of the buttercream mixture with the remaining buttercream in
the second bowl. Add a couple drops of yellow food coloring into the
first batch and a couple drops of green into the second (if using
professional grade, you’ll only need a drop or two the size of a
pinhead) and mix together until smooth and each buttercream batch is
uniformly one color.

12. Fill a piping
bag, fitted with a small star tip, with the yellow buttercream. Pipe
small beads of buttercream, at a 45˚angle, in straight rows, over
the rounded base of the cookie.

13. Once all the
bodies of the cookies have been frosted, fill another piping bag,
fitted with a small circle tip, with the green colored buttercream.

14. Pipe the green
buttercream over the leafy tops of the pineapple cookies to finish
decorating.

**These finished
cookies can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated for
up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months. (if freezing, do not frost
cookies until defrosted and ready to use)**

My adorable first-cousins-twice-removed, Vivian and Max, used their artistic expertise to decorate these biscuits made from the above recipe recommended by Katrina (the added lime zest was an inspired ingredient), Anne

This lovely design by Vivian shows the sun surrounded by planets, topped with a rainbow!

YUM!

I love these "storybook cookies" in Jean Bowrings'New Cake Decorating Book, 1st printed 1969
Melbourne.She says "baking cookies like those in our colour picture is fun the whole family can enjoy."

1.In
a saucepan combine the tapioca, water and vanilla pod and let it
simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the tapioca is
tender and translucent and the water has been absorbed.

2.Remove
from the heat and stir in the coconut cream. Set aside and leave to
cool down.

3.In
a large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together. Gradually whisk in a
third of the cooled tapioca mixture, then combine with the remaining
mix.

4.Return
the mixture to the saucepan and cook over a low heat for several
minutes to allow the mixture to thicken. Remove the vanilla bean,
scrape out the seeds and add to the mixture. Take off the heat and
let it cool.

5.Mix
the chopped mango with the pineapple juice and juice and the
passionfruit pulp. Layer as desired with the cooled tapioca mixture
and serve.

Thanks Jessica and James for these terrific slippers (and notebook) that travelled in your backpacks all the way from Portland USA to Australia via Central America. Love them!

Love this photo sent from Roma by my cousin Jenny and her daughter Jessica who is doing an Italian language course.

I'm sure the pineapple reminded them of summery days back home as they shiver in the European winter!!! Thanks for the picture - I can't help wondering if this particular pineapple was grown in Queensland!

And thanks for pointing me in the right direction (towards the pineapples) in Domayne Jorge!

Peel
and chop apple finely; halve cherries. Mix all fruits in a large
bowl. Add orange and lemon rind and juice. Put in large screwtop jar,
and pour ¼ cup rum or whisky over. Screw cap securely in place,
store for 3 weeks if possible. Reverse jar each day.

(Fruit
can be used after 3 days, but the longer it is left the better the
flavour.)

Cream
butter and sugar until soft and white. Add eggs one by one, beating
well after each addition. Sift together flour, spices, salt, and
ground almonds. Fold into creamed mixture. Fold in prepared fruits.
Fold in caramel mixture. Line deep 20cm cake tin, bringing paper 3cm
above top of tin.

Pour
mixture in and spread top level. Bake in slow oven 3 ½ hours or
until skewer, comes out clean. Cool in tin on a wire rack, then pour
remainder of rum over. Wrap in foil, store in an airtight tin.

Caramel:
heat ¼ cup sugar and 150ml water over low heat until sugar
dissolves. Bring to the boil, and boil until mixture darkens. Cool,
use in cake as directed.